WWII Technology: Dried Plasma

Description: Blood plasma is the liquid part of blood, made up of a salt-protein solution. Plasma is 90% water, and contributes to 55% of the blood volume. Plasma has a variety of functions, including keeping a constant blood pressure and to supply the protein needed in blood clotting. Plasma can be collected by separating the liquid part of blood from the cells. In 1938, Dr. Charles Drew made a breakthrough discovery that plasma can replace whole blood. It was significant because whole blood could not be kept for long. He could mass process plasma from whole blood and played a major role in the development of dried plasma.

Intended Purpose: War was sweeping over Europe around 1940, and soldiers needed blood. Plasma can be kept longer and can replace whole blood, reducing deaths from blood loss.

How It Shaped the War: It shaped the war because it greatly reduced the numbers of casualties that died from blood loss and shock from bleeding. Dried plasma was essential on the battlefields of World War II.

How the War Shaped It: The need of plasma on the battlefields of World War II forced the crews to come up with new ways of administering plasma to wounded soldiers. They developed dried plasma. The high demand for blood plasma also created blood plasma collection and preservation organizations. To supply the soldiers with plasma, the package of plasma was redesigned into two tin cans. One contained the dried plasma, the other contained enough distilled water to completely reconsitute the dried plasma into fresh usable plasma in only a few minutes.

Lasting Effects: Dried plasma was used widely in World War II and saved numerous lives. After the war, the unused plasma from the war was issued for civilian use.

http://home.att.net/~steinert/wwii.htm#THE%20DISCOVERY%20OF%20PENICILLIN
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_plasma